Jonathan Felkel Sentenced to Nine Years After Shooting at Black Neighbor in Racist Attack

 

Jonathan Felkel Shot at His Black Neighbor While Shouting Racial Threats. He Was Sentenced to Nine Years in Federal Prison.

On July 17, 2025, Jonathan Andrew Felkel drove into the gated Spring Valley community in Columbia, South Carolina, looking for Black residents.

He found Jarvis McKenzie, who was waiting at the neighborhood gate for a ride to work.

Felkel pulled out a gun, fired from his vehicle, and shouted racial threats at McKenzie, including, “You better keep running, boy.”

The attack was captured on surveillance video.

After his arrest, Felkel admitted to investigators that he had targeted McKenzie specifically because he was Black.

He also admitted that he had been driving around the neighborhood looking for Black people.

Felkel claimed he believed Black residents were connected to dangerous criminals. That racist belief was his stated justification for threatening an innocent man with a firearm.

In July 2026, Felkel pleaded guilty in federal court to violating McKenzie's civil rights under 42 U.S.C. § 3631, a federal law protecting people from racially motivated intimidation involving housing rights.

He was sentenced to nine years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

In October 2026, Felkel also pleaded guilty to state charges, including assault and battery and hate intimidation.

He received an eight-year sentence for assault and battery and 30 days for hate intimidation. The state and federal prison sentences will run concurrently.

Jarvis McKenzie was standing outside his own neighborhood, waiting for a ride to work. That was all he was doing.

A white man went looking for Black people to terrorize, found him, and fired a gun while shouting racist threats.

McKenzie wasn't doing anything wrong. He was simply Black in a place where a racist man had decided he didn't belong.